When Social Security numbers were first issued in 1936, the federal
government assured the public that use of the numbers would be limited
to Social Security programs such as calculating retirement benefits.
Today, however, the Social Security number (SSN) has become the de
facto national identifier.

Government agencies and private businesses use SSNs for a wide range of
non-Social Security purposes — such as employee files, medical records,
health insurance accounts, credit and banking accounts, university ID
cards, utility accounts, and many more. The use of SSNs as both an
identifier and an authenticator makes these numbers highly desirable to
criminals, such as identity thieves.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is proud to announce
the launch of an interactive online complaint center designed to serve as a
clearinghouse for consumer privacy complaints.
This builds upon our 19-year history of troubleshooting consumers’
complaints and questions regarding a wide variety of information privacy issues,
including background checks, debt collection, data breaches, financial
information, and online data brokers. The PRC's staff will review and respond
to every complaint, providing individuals with information and strategies to
address their problem.

Imagine you’re walking down the street and a stranger snaps your photo with his smartphone. He uses a facial recognition app and within minutes, he knows your name, age, where you were born, and your Social Security number. Think it’s a scene from the movie Minority Report? Think again.

Facial recognition technology – especially as the technology becomes more sophisticated – may be one of the gravest privacy threats of our time.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse urges California voters to oppose the November 2nd ballot initiative Proposition 64, which limits the enforcement of laws that protect against consumer abuses, polluters, and privacy violations. We also urge those who are interested in learning more about the mischaracterization of “trial lawyers” and “shakedown” lawsuits as a national issue, to read on.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is urging Californians to vote against an extremely troubling and misleading initiative in the upcoming November 2nd election. Proposition 69, called the “DNA Samples. Collection. Database. Funding. Initiative Statute” significantly expands the collection of DNA from convicted felons and from individuals who have been arrested.

We at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse commend Senator Figueroa and the two Senate Committees for conducting a hearing on outsourcing, and for considering not only the employment implications but also the potential risks to the privacy and security of records containing sensitive personal information. I restrict my comments to the issues of privacy and security.